John Duffey's four-octave voice, a perfect high and lonesome tenor, and his innovative mandolin playing (he also designed and built mandolins) made him one of modern bluegrass' most unsung and vital performers during his tenure with
the Country Gentlemen and
the Seldom Scene, and his death in 1996, just three months after the death of
Bill Monroe, effectively ended an era in the music's history and prefigured the progressive but still tradition-based direction of contemporary bluegrass. This solid set collects key album tracks that
Duffey recorded with both of these groups for Rebel Records between 1962 and 1977, including fine versions of "Girl from the North Country," "The Young Fisherwoman," "500 Miles," and "I'm Working on a Road," among others, and it makes for a delightful glimpse at
Duffey's impressive and dearly missed talent. ~ Steve Leggett